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US defenseman Becky Sauerbrunn said the USWNT let down its black players by not taking a stand against racial injustice earlier.
The American women showed their support ahead of a friendly 2-0 defeat to the Netherlands in late November, with players wearing warm-up vests with the words “Black Lives Matter” on the front, and nearly all of the squad. took a knee while playing the national anthem.
– USWNT wears Black Lives Matter warm-ups; most take the knee
– USMNT shows support for racial justice ahead of Wales draw
The pre-match show of solidarity was accompanied by a statement posted on the team members’ social media accounts.
Speaking on Tuesday on USWNT teammate Kelley O’Hara’s podcast, “Just Women’s Sports,” Sauerbrunn said she regretted the team’s lack of awareness for so long.
“I don’t agree that it has taken us a long time as a national team to get to this point because we have fought for so long for so many things,” he said. she declared. “For gender equality, for equal pay. We wear shirts for LGBTQ, for the military, and we have never come together as a group to fight for social justice and racial inequality.
“It’s been a long time coming and somehow I feel we have failed the black women on our team, our program and our black supporters by not being more aware of this fight. I am glad that we got together and I’m glad we got all the black women together and as a team and as a small group we decided what we can do to raise BLM awareness more [Black Lives Matter].
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Julie Foudy breaks down the USWNT’s impressive 2-0 victory over the Netherlands.
“It’s amazing that we have to do it, but it’s also, I think, it’s been too long for this to finally materialize and I hope that’s just the first of many things we let’s do to continue this fight. “
Nine of the 11 starters knelt for the anthem against the Netherlands. O’Hara, a defender, and midfielder Julie Ertz were the two standing. Sauerbrunn said the team understood their reasons for not participating.
“As you know, this was the first time as a team that we had a conversation about the race. And it was awkward at times and there was tension and it was emotional, but I think people really got to speak their truths for the first time. So I’m proud of this, and even though people decided to participate in the anthem the way they did, at least it was done with an understanding of each other’s motives.
“There is still work to be done, but it was a very big step for the group,” she said.
Due to a hiatus in international play caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the November game was the first for the USWNT since the death of George Floyd – a black man who was killed while on guard at sighted in Minneapolis on May 25 – sparked protests and calls for racial justice and an end to police brutality around the world.
Earlier this month, the United States men’s team wore justice-calling messages on their tracksuits ahead of their 0-0 draw with Wales in the team’s first game since Floyd’s death.
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